Improved post-driver



N.FETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTONy Dv C.

Paint taat W-fswssw ANGELOS MGCLARA, OF iWHITNEY'S PQINT, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 83,692, dated November 3, 1868.

IMPROVEID POST-DRIVER.

The Schedule rafemd to in these Letters Patent and making part of the Same- To all 'who'm it may cmwcr'n,

Be it known that I, Axonros MCCLARA, of Whitneyis Point, in the county of Broome, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in Post-Driver; and I do hereby (lcclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying `1rawings, forining part of this specification, in which.-

Fignre l is a side elevation of my invention, and

Figure 2 is a rear view of the ram and its elevatiugframe.

Figures 3 and 4 are detail views.

Similar' letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

In the acmmpanying drawings, A ,is an ordinary wagon, on the rear end of which are mountcd the elevating-fi'ame and ram B (l.

v The ra'm O is operated in such manner that the delivery of the blow 'is always under'theimmediate control of the operator, who is stationed at the post; and the parts are so constructed that the horses or elevating-power cannot deliver the blow, as ordinarily. To do this, the elevating-rope F is fixed to the ram in a permanent manner, as shown by fig. 2, and the frame B is provided with a spi'ing-latch, f, which engages' with a notch, c, in the ram, when it is elevated, andthis prevcnts the 'return oi' -the rani until the blow is wanted, when it is dclivercd by the operator pulling the tripping-line g. s soon as the latch engages with the rani, the team backs up again at once,'and is ready to go ahead as soon as a blow is struck. When the team has backed up, the rope F is Slackened under the wagon suiificiently for the fall of the ram;

This method I have .found to give desirable advan-' tage over the self-(lischarging rani, as, in starting the posts into the ground, I stoady them by hand for the first blow, and by this' means the blow can be delivered at the moment it is wanted, without having to wait, and without liability of having blows delivered before they are wanted; and the team can begin to back up at once after a hoist, whether the operator is .ready for a blow or not, and the backingup of the team during momentary delays is so much time saved, as they are ready to. start ahcad immediately after a blow which follows said delays.

The spacng of distance between fence-posts is done' by the chain lt, which is secured to the last post, J, fig. 1, as ordinarily, so that the wagon moves the same distance forward at each movement. But instead o f placing the chain around the post .1,1 attach that end of the chain near to one end of a lever, K, fig. 3, and then provide the long arm of this lever with a spike, 7a. This lever K is attended to by a boy, who places its short 'end behind the last post, and pushes the spike into the ground, and by this means stops the wagon at the proper distancez 'And when the last blow ona post is delivered, ,and the wagon is to ahead, no time is lost in releasing the chain, as, when the lever is taken up, the spike i: is pulled out of the ground land the chain released at once.

The pole or tongue of the wagon is made in two parts, M m, the lower part, m, sliding longitudinally under the main tongue, M, in guides 'a ny.

The base of the tongue is provided with a self-en-` gaging bolt, Z, for securing the sliding tongue, fm., to the main tongue, M, when desired; but this bolt is thrown up out of action by placing a wcdge under its elevating-lever L when diiving posts; and its use is not necessary when drawing the wagon forward from the position of one post to the next, ie weight of the ram C, aoting through the rope F, svficient to hold the tongue 'nt back while the vehicle rng moved forward to a new position. But when the on is being ,transported from place to place, or used for other purposes, then the bolt l is allowed to engage with the lower tongue. The team is attachei'i to the lower tongue, (p, fig. 1, representmg the douhle-tree,} and is thus al-` ways equally ready to hoist the ram or proceed with the wagon, as desired. The ohain lt being fast, the ram is hoisted, and, when released, the wagon moves forward, to take up a new position.

The ram C is made of Wood, and is sawed out of the body of a biroh-tree.

By these means I obtain a simple and very eflicient apparatus.

Upon actual trial, I have with this apparz'utus driven thirty fence-posts in twenty-t'our minutes, doing the work in a good and snbstantial manner.

Having thus desoribed my invention,

That I claim as new, and desire to secme by Letters atent, is-

The combination of the secondary sliding tongue 'm with the ram O B F and wagon A, as and for the purpose set forth.

The above specification of my nven'tion signed by me, this 236. day of July, 1868. t

A. MGOLARA.

Witnesses:

BEvnnLY OHAsE, F. A. MORLEY. 

